Zhang Ziyu, standing at 2.23 meters, bids farewell to the World Cup! Paige once joked about blocking her shot, while a foreign coach reveals details of her progress.

On September 11, Beijing time, after the Chinese women's basketball team fell to France yesterday, Zhang Ziyu, who stands 2.23 meters tall, ended her first-ever World Cup campaign. While the young center hasn't posted a breakout game stat line, her presence on the floor immediately draws the spotlight. Recently, the Associated Press published an article about Zhang Ziyu, with the following content——

During the first group-stage match between China and the United States, Paige Bueckers and Zhang Ziyu had an interaction on the court, and a video of their conversation quickly went viral. In an interview with the Associated Press, Paige said the exchange was lighthearted and fun throughout.

"It was just small talk, friendly banter. I wanted to see how much English she understood," Paige said with a smile. "I thought I'd try to throw some trash talk at her and see how much she could catch. I told her I was going to block her shot, and she just looked at me in disbelief. I don't know if she didn't understand me or if she couldn't believe I'd say something like that to her. For me, it was purely for fun."

In the final group-stage game, China defeated Italy. Zhang Ziyu played only eight minutes, recording 8 points and 3 rebounds. Whenever she was on the court, Italy had to adjust their tactics on both offense and defense.

"It's really awkward because you don't face this kind of opponent often. It's a challenge—you have to defend a player you rarely encounter. For me, it was very difficult, and we had to come up with different ways to contain her," said Italian center Olbis Andre. "I think we did well in some moments of the game and struggled in others, but we'll learn from it."

The Associated Press reported that Zhang Ziyu did not give any media interviews during the entire tournament. When walking through the interview zone, she either smiled or bowed politely. Players are not obligated to speak to the press.

The 19-year-old Zhang Ziyu started playing basketball at age 10 or 11, but only began serious training about a year ago. Former Rutgers player April Sykes, who has worked as a coach in recent years, was hired as a technical development coach for the Chinese team.

Earlier this year, she trained with Zhang Ziyu for several months. She described the Chinese rising star as very obedient and receptive to coaching guidance."She's fun, loves playing video games, and likes to joke around," Sykes said. "At the end of the day, she's still a kid. Many people think she's 24 or 25, but she's really just a young girl."

Sykes is currently in Atlanta watching games. A few days ago, she saw Zhang Ziyu make a left-handed shot—exactly the skill they had been working on together—and she felt very pleased.

"That moment alone made my whole day," Sykes said. "A lot of people don't realize how much progress she has made in such a short time."

Zhang Ziyu's teammate, Han Xu, who plays for the WNBA's New York Liberty, praised Zhang Ziyu's performance at this World Cup and believes she is ready to compete on the world stage.

"The World Cup is a great opportunity for her to get recognized globally," Han Xu said. "I'm really excited to fight alongside her again."